Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky postponed on Wednesday, May 14, all his upcoming foreign trips as Ukraine's army battled to contain a frontline push by the Kremlin's forces in the northeast region of Kharkiv. Zelensky instructed his team to reschedule the visits. "We are grateful to our partners for understanding," the announcement said. Zelensky had been expected to visit Spain, and perhaps Portugal, later this week.
Russian troops are pressing a fresh offensive in the border region. It began last week, marking the most significant border incursion since the full-scale invasion began over two years ago. Together with Moscow's weekslong effort to build on its recent gains in the eastern Donetsk region, the war has entered a critical stage for Ukraine's depleted army.
On Wednesday, the country's emergency services said Ukraine has evacuated around 8,000 people from the Kharkiv region. "Most of them are women, elderly people, people with reduced mobility, and people with disabilities and children," the state emergency services agency said in a post on Telegram.
A Ukrainian military spokesman conceded earlier on Wednesday on state television that Kyiv had withdrawn troops – including near Lukyantsi – citing overwhelming Russian onslaughts and the need to save soldiers' lives. The interior ministry announced that three civilians had been killed in the region over the last 24 hours and the national police said five civilians had been wounded by Russian fire on Wednesday.
Moscow's advances on two fronts point to the acute ammunition and manpower shortages crippling the Ukrainian military and paving the way for the Kremlin's army to eat away at Ukrainian territory.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken meanwhile announced in Kyiv on Wednesday the release of a further $2 billion in military aid for Ukrainian forces holding back Russian onslaughts across the front line. The aid, which was announced at a press conference with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, is part of a $61 billion package that Washington approved several weeks ago following months of delays in Congress.
Blinken said the purpose of the aid was "to provide weapons today" as well as invest in Ukrainian infrastructure and help Ukraine purchase military equipment from other countries. Kuleba repeated that Ukraine "urgently" needs seven more air defense systems and said the northeastern region of Kharkiv, which came under Russian attack last week, needs two systems. He also said Ukraine needed faster deliveries of weapons promised by allied countries.